Principal to oversee Tracy district expansion

TRACY - The Jefferson Elementary School District in Tracy has selected a new superintendent.

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By Keith Reid

recordnet.com

By Keith Reid

Posted Jun. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By Keith Reid

Posted Jun. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

TRACY - The Jefferson Elementary School District in Tracy has selected a new superintendent.

The Board of Trustees is expected to approve the hiring of longtime Jefferson Elementary School Principal James Bridges at tonight's meeting. Once approved, Bridges will replace Superintendent Dana Eaton, who has accepted the same job in the larger Brentwood Union School District in Contra Costa County.

Bridges, 42, has been principal at Jefferson Elementary for 11 years. He said he looks forward to taking on the duties of leading the district of four schools and 2,500 students.

Jefferson Elementary is also poised for an expansion. Bridges said the district's namesake elementary school building will be replaced with a new facility in the coming years, and two large housing developments include plans for two more Jefferson schools in the near future, Bridges said.

"The biggest challenges will be implementing common core standards and the building of new schools," Bridges said, adding that he has long wanted to be Jefferson's superintendent.

The position will pay Bridges $140,000 annually.

Eaton, 42, called Jefferson a "special district" that he feels extreme pleasure to have served since he was hired in 2009. His decision to leave was a hard one, he said.

However, he lives in Brentwood and looks forward to working close to home, and for the challenges that come with leading a larger district. Brentwood Union has about 8,500 students and 11 schools, he said.

Bridges lives in Ripon with his wife, Julie, and their children Lauren, 12, Luke, 10, and Leighton, 6.